


Drowned

by IcyRain_Hollows



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Shifter, Smut, Suicidal Thoughts, Torture, mermaid au, she's a biter, sombra can feel guilty, sombra's leg are a good pillow, widow has dark humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 12:00:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14080452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyRain_Hollows/pseuds/IcyRain_Hollows
Summary: All she wanted was for it to end, to leave. But a new face had other plans for a better ending.





	Drowned

  
Speckles of crimson occassionally danced along relfective surfaces, staining wherever they happen to fall and creating great difficulty when one tries to clear them away. Even within the filtered waters the color would flow with such ease, spreading like ink on a canvas. Fast and permenant. The beings that shed such liquid were those of human skin taking apart other various beings of nature. It was all for the sake of humanity. At least, that's what they convinced themselves.

Two bodies dragged out of the water, one limp with the staining liquid making its escape and the other frantically trying to break way of the stranger's grasps as her pale blue body and fish-like tail transition into something more suitable for the surface. Her skin becoming ghostly white with her legs now under her as primary support. Their grip on her body was sturdy, more than one set of hands preventing her from further damaging another worker. She hissed, struggling to break free as her nails dug into the floor. It wasn't until the lifeless body was dragged entirely out of the room that she was released.

With quick pace, the ones that held her down scurried out and locked the heavy door that kept her trapped. Her breath was quick as her gills shut down to allow her lungs to function the way a humans' would. Trembling, she managed to move to the side of the wall, propping herself against it. The pool that she spent so much time in now had a metal cover, preventing her from returning to the bloody waters. It left her out in the open, shaking.

These moments she hated the most, out of her natural element, open for anyone to grab her with the intentions of experimenting. She stirred uncomfortably, watching the heavy door for any signs of it opening. Once she'd calm down enough she looked at her hand, the faintest remidence of red was staring back at her. She couldn't help but grin a little. There was a thrill with killing humans, a rush that made her feel better. She did not like feeling helpless and she most certainly did not take kindly to being taken advantage of. 

 

* * *

  
"I'm so glad you decided to join us," A woman with two-toned eyes was leading another down the hall. "I know there are many terrible rumors about us as a company, but I assure you we have plenty of redeeming qualities. Our shipments of medicine have been proven to be the most efficent around and cheapest. Quality and quanity." She said with a pleased smile, stopping at a computer room tucked out of the way but still high-quality as the rest of the building was. "This'll be your office. If camera A-33 blacks out there is a back up switch. Sometimes the wiring in that room gets a little loose. Nothing to be concerned about."

While the woman was listening, she was looking over all the tech. Very advanced and expensive system, a lot of security with tons of pieces that connected to various rooms. "And all I have to do is make sure no one gets in or out?" 

"Mhm, and if anything unnerving happens whether it be night or day, set the alarm with the room's specific number. Also, during the night shift, there will be two employees. Pay close attention to them, sometimes cleaning the tanks isn't the easier job." She patted her back gently. "Any questions?"

"Can't you fix the wiring?" 

"No. It's more trouble to fix than it is worth. Just keep a close eye and welcome to our team, Sombra."

 

* * *

  
Flickering through camera to camera, Sombra boredly clicked around. This job was terribly slow. The only reason she took the job was because the of all the rumors of people's relatives never returning home. There was questionable tactics, a lot of animals that went under study and tons of donated human remains. Though, there was one room where she couldn't quite make out what lived within it. Whatever it was, it had a tail and was purposely staying out of view of the camera unlike the other creatures, it knew where to hide.

Admittedly, she was curious so as she let eye flicker around, she most commonly would glance at that screen. It took about three hours of bouncing through screens before she saw the being leave from its blind-spot. A body, human, with an aquatic tail. She couldn't help but stare for a while, the woman staring at her reflection in the glass. At least, that is what it looked like.

The aquatic woman was pressing her hand against the glass, dragging her nails along the smooth surface. She looked frustrated. Soon her nails scratching against the surface changed to her slamming her fist against it. There was such force presented but against a bullet proof tank it meant nothing, rendering as useless efforts. She groaned, swimming away from the glass. Sombra could almost feel the beings blood boiling as she was trapped within a room with no one but herself and scars tracing much of her blue human-like skin.

Her arm and back took most of the damage, line over line as though she were a living scratching post. As for the webbing of her tail, it had holes. Small rips that overall wouldn't cause trouble but to tear any further would create difficulty with every water-related movement.

Sombra was rather interested, linking all the human medicines to that specific being. With all the access at her fingertips, she opened the documents that pertained to the mermaid. It was simple and limited information. A female with yellow eyes and blue scales, named Amelie but coded as patient 59. Her age was 33. As far as her personality went, it stated she was aggressive to her handlers and would have to be force fed if the Scientists weren't the ones tending to her.  
All other documents were password locked, not that that would be much of an issue for her. But for a first night, she didn't want to risk getting kicked out so quickly. She wanted to see this place in action for longer than just a day. 

 

* * *

  
Amelie's aggravated behavior attracted attention from daytime employees. It was common that she'd get frustrated, let out spurs of anger against the glass. Her overall enclosure was practically a pool with a sponge material on the walls so she couldn't hurt herself against the cement. Therefore she was left with the giant glass sheet that allowed her to see the people she so deeply hated. 

There were a number of occasions where handlers were dragged into her pool with the purpose of being drowned or ripping them apart with her teeth. That was something she succeeded at a few times, so now they send people in pairs when working with her. 

They did not want her dead. No, they needed her alive for their research. A creature that was not documented, unknown to the outside, and wasn't technically a human made her an ideal subject for that her body mostly functioned as one out of water. The best part was that she could barely function with legs, unable to keep balance or run without some sort of added support. It made her reason stronger as to why she never willingly left her water.

But on days where the water was drained, she'd be filled with terror. It meant that she'd be taken for studies. Events where injections would be forced upon her. It always made her skin crawl. 

Today was one of those days, the water lower by the second and Amelie was left pressing herself against the bottom of the pool to stay away from the surface for as long as possible. Once it was gone her body involuntarily changed. Her tail splitting into legs and her body adjusting to the harsh air. Before she even had a chance to resist she was grabbed, taken away from the pit.

These scenes happened off camera, strapping the woman to an uncomfortable steel table. Curses left her mouth as her entire being tense, her hands turned into fists as she couldn't help but struggle. She jerked her wrist so hard against the strap it basically started to dig into her skin. 

The Doctor working on her today made a noise in disapproval. "You are only going to hurt yourself further." She cleaned some equipment before going over to her. "It's okay, I'm not Moira," she traced her fingers over her scarred arm. "Such a beautiful creature. I won't damage your skin further."

With that she tightened the strap around Amelie's wrist before injecting a virus into her body. "If our predictions are correct, there will be an outbreak soon. You'll be of great help to provide a better vaccine, but you'll feel terrible for awhile. So while we figure out a vaccine, you'll be stuck with us in a human form. Can't allow your mermaid form to get contaminated." 

Even a task as simple as given Amelie a shot require them to strap her down, for that she would never stay still long enough to receive a shot. And the last thing either of the scientists wanted were for the needle to break in her arm. After achieving what they wanted, they brought the mermaid to her room but refused to fill the pool. 

Instead they left her to suffer with an illness she was not informed of and human legs that she couldn't function well with. And again, she had to prop herself against the wall. It felt like no time before the symptoms started to creep through her, a headache scratching at the back of her head and aches grabbing at her joints causing her to shift uncomfortably. It was all left to be recorded.

Any item in her room for her to waste her time with were nothing more than a mere book she couldn't read. It wasn't in a language she knew, and frankly trying to learn German on the fly was more trouble than it was worth. It all made her blood boil. She wanted to leave. The painful tests, forced illness, and unwanted grabbing was daily torture.

Even if she wanted to distract herself, she couldn't. They were weary with what they provided her for that they knew she'd bring harm to herself. There was nothing she wanted more than to disappear, to be gone and forever put an end to this treatment. 

Her dreary yellow eyes glared at the camera in her room, biting her lower lip with frustration until her teeth started to puncture her flesh. A slow red drizzle running down her mouth and dripping off her jaw. Lovely speckles of crimson that usually weren't her own. At least, it's not usually her blood within her cell. She knew there were eyes constantly on her, that there was someone just relaxing behind the scene without a care of what they did to her. 

She knew they wouldn't. If all the progress helped humans, then why did anything else matter? Why would her pain matter if it'd benefit thousands? She moved uncomfortable again, feeling terribly cold despite the developing fever. It made her groan but she continued to stare at the digital eye. She muttered, "Tue-moi, s'il te plaît. Je n'en veux pas... arrêtez ça." It turned into more of a plea, a whine. But even with someone watching the screen, her French tongue went untranslated.  
It drew some guilt into Sombra, watching this strange woman beg for something she didn't understand. She could only guess freedom, but that didn't stop her from continuing to listen. "Je ne veux pas vivre plus longtemps...j'essaye de vous dire que ça fait mal.. pourquoi vous voulez ce?" Anything she said fell under. 

Amelie hit the back of her head against the wall, feeling defeated in the moment. She swallowed hard on some of her own saliva before closing her eyes tightly. Finally murmuring some English with a French influence, "..end me..it's..all I ask.."

 

* * *

  
Two weeks had passed, Sombra preformed her job as she was told. To capture trust within this warped building would allow her to sneak little things and get away with it. There were times she had to use that backup camera for that the lonely book in the mermaid's room would be thrown directly at the lens. Other times she had to set alarms for animals that were going into attack mode on their handlers. These subjects would be dragged to rooms without fake eyes to pry. They were already in terrible conditions in their cells, it could only make her wonder how worse it was behind those doors.

Every other night, there would be two nighttime employees. They were Amelie's handlers, usually to do nothing more than to feed her which was a struggle in itself. The woman may have been sick and unable to carry her body mass, but she wouldn't willingly eat. Instead Sombra would watch sometimes as they tried to feed her soup once they got her jaw open just to see her spit it back out at them with seething anger. 

Though there were moments she'd force herself to watch other animals. One of those being when they used a tube to feed the sea creature. While sick the workers weren't allowed to give her supplement shots, which meant getting her to eat became that extreme. Apparently her having something to vomit out was useful to their research.

Tonight, she decided she'd take the place of those handlers. The hacker knew it'd be a challenge, but thought that perhaps since they've never seen face-to-face, she wouldn't be met with the utmost disgust that every other familiar received. There was questioning from those two individuals but it was nothing Sombra didn't know how to play off. 

Upon entering the room, those harsh eyes were already glaring at it. A brow raised at her for not being someone she knew. It was a weak but clear expression, overall her body was shivering and aching. 

Sombra went over to her, holding two items in the hand. "I hear you speaking," she stated simply, setting the food down before unfolding a fuzzy pajama robe. "Hate to tell you, I don't understand French." She pulled Amelie away from leaning against the wall, guiding her arms through the sleeves of the robe knowing that she was weak to reject wearing it.

It made her growl in discomfort, the contact leaving her annoyed and her skin itching. To have soft fabric draped around her was surprising. Drastically different from the surface of the floor and wall.

"You know, other things here get beds, blankets, and something to distract themselves with." Sombra watched her to make sure she didn't try to wiggle out of the robe before picking up the container. There was plenty of pre-made food designed for Amelie's ease to consume, but she figured that wasn't going well so might as well try something else. It wasn't a large container, but it was big enough to hold a small group of fruits, a few grapes, strawberries, and banana slices. They were sweet and different from Amelie's prepared foods.

"I got your usual handlers to back off," she stated, noticing the tired narrowed eyes following her every movement. "I would appreciate if you at least nibbed on this. It's not as boring." With that, she slide the food toward her.

It left Amelie very confused. A stranger giving her a robe then giving her the option to eat (not the mention something different) was throwing her off. The factors made it almost tempting to cave but the clustered anger and thoughts of this being a trick was way more consuming. That left her to simply continue her stare of hate and confusion.

"You don't trust me," Sombra said with a light laugh, "yeah, I can't blame you there. I see how they treat you. Forcibly feeding you, yanking you away and taking advantage of your compromised position. I wouldn't trust me either. We can build some trust though, can't we?" Her suggestion made the other stirred up a pathetic sounding snarl but the hacker continued to be calm under it all.

"I've only been working here for two week, I go by the name Sombra." She gestured to the camera. "I watch the rooms. So, if you could, please stop damaging the lens with that book."

Amelie kept her focus on her, her fingers hesitantly playing with the hem on the sleeves. Barely audible she murmured, "..you are..new.."

"Mhm," Sombra noised in response, that questioning look still clear on the skin woman's face. "I got a job here due to rumors of missing bodies, people's family members that never went home. There were also rumors that conditions here were extremely inhumane, animal cruelty, torture and neglect." As she spoke she saw a little of the tension slip away from the other. It didn't make her gaze any less unnerving.

"Tu n'es pas loyal." The sick woman stated plainly.

"Sorry, amiga. Uhh...Je ne..parle pas français." She struggled to pronounce.

"You are not loyal." She repeated so Sombra could understand.

"I'm not loyal to anyone," She grinned. "If you want..I could be the one to come by as your handler from now on?" 

Amelie examined her, looking at herself then back at Sombra. "If you hurt me..I will kill you." 

"Noted. I'll leave you to eat." She said, rising to her feet before leaving the room for the night. She returned to her station, looking over all the cameras to make sure everything was fine before staring at the mermaid's screen. It seemed her approached worked relatively, the woman did nibble on a strawberry or two. That wasn't nearly as much as she was meant to consume, but it's certainly better then watching her be forced.

 

* * *

  
"Remarkable," hummed the red haired geneticist. "She'd been refusing to eat for months. I wonder what those handlers did to appease her." Her nails tapped against the table as she watched the monitor with Sombra, completely unaware of the Spanish woman's involvement with her.

"They even got her a robe." Another commented, a soft smile rising to her face. "That's quite sweet, don't you think, Moira?"

"I'm more impressed. The state she's been in had only gotten more aggressive, her sudden change of behavior is quite bizarre."

"I wouldn't say her behavior changed, we had never tried giving her anything sweet. Maybe there is comfort in fruits. We could gather more of that for her to select from if that means she'll eat more willingly." Angela suggestion seemed to clear her co-workers creeping suspicious, nodding in agreement. 

"Perhaps," she turned away from the screen, "let's go what we can do about that then." Both the scientists left, allowing the hacker to smile in satisfaction. 

It assumed her to see Moira so confused. This wasn't meant to be a game, but she could very well turn this into a scene of baffling the Irish. There were multiply thoughts that she mused over, but knew staying subtle was her best bet if she wanted to make any further progress. For all she knew, her efforts could go to waste the moment Amelie feels well enough to fight against her. Which meant that her time would be limited for that she had no idea how much longer the other would be ill.

 

* * *

 

Another day the handlers were meant to arrive, Sombra had sent them fake official looking emails so they didn't show. It allowed her the chance to meet up with the sickly figure. Today she had brought a different item to present to her. It was a collection of fairy and folk tales of various different regions and time frames. She made sure it get it in French so that reading it would be of ease. It was also paperback, not wanting to have to deal with the chances of a broken camera lens again and that'd be harder to accomplish with a paperback rather than a hardcover.

She tapped the door to inform her of her entering before finally walking in. "Hola Amelie," she greets and went to sit on the floor across from her. Allowing space between them as to not make the other uncomfortable. "I have different fruit for you today. Kiwi slices and mango." She informed, sliding the container her way but this time not removing the lid. The old container was still there with now rotted fruit. She'd take that on her way out. 

The past two days Amelie had basically buried herself within the soft touch of the robe, rather unresponsive from the pain and relatively high fever. She only let out a groan. The illness wavered a lot, some days were minimal while others hit her hard. Tonight seemed like one of those nights. It seemed difficult for her to even seem uncomfortable with Sombra's presense, to focused on the unwanted nasua and headache to really bother with anyone else. 

The hacker knew better than that, she kept her respectable distance. But that didn't stop her from talking, "I brought a book. One you can actually read." She stated, putting it the spot the other book had been and held onto the German so she'd remember to take it with her when she left. "I've been going through some of the files, I'm not supposed to be viewing them but it gives me insight as to all the things they've done here." It seemed like Amelie was struggling to listen, so Sombra kept talking while she had her attention in hopes she'd at least vaguely remember later. "There is enough information to break this place forever, with so many anti-cruelty laws and dishonesty laws, I'm sure this place would get shut down in a heart beat."

There was uses to taking the building apart, but also uses in keeping it together. Not that she'd share the second part with Amelie. Even if she were to take this place down, mermaids certainly weren't known and revealing them to the public would probably create more harm in the other's life than good. So, her course of action was to get her out of here before finalizing what she wanted to do with the information she had.

It was selfish to most, but she didn't really care. This company had plenty of money that Sombra could smother out of them for the safety of their information, but there was just as many companies who'd love to see an end to them. Whether or not they were a big medicine provider was not of her concern. If the public couldn't afford health-care then that means their Government is doing something wrong. At least, that's how she saw it. 

There were even uses to keeping the mermaid around. To have eyes under the water, watching? It sounded like a partnership she could take part in. All she had to do was capture her trust and get her out. If Amelie was willing to work with her in exchange for safety, by all means, that worked for her. All she had to do was play the right cards, gain the trust of the scientists, sneakily take information, gain the mermaid's trust, and everything would be set for just about any plan she chose.  
Her words catch some of Amelie's interest, just as she had hoped. What she didn't expect were the words uttered. A nearly mute request. "Kill me, please..I do not want to live any longer.." 

There was a scratch of guilt picking at her now. "¿Qué? I'm not killing you!" Now there was a crumble in her plans. How was she supposed to deal with a creature that didn't even want to live? "I can't kill you, I'll get in trouble and I haven't gotten all the information out of the computer."

Sombra received no reply after that, watching as the sickly woman simply brought her knees to her chest and hid her face. The position made her think that the mermaid was going to cry. She started to reach over to comfort her but realized how much of a mistake that'd be so she pulled her hand back. "That why you never eat? You'd rather starve yourself then see the light of day again?" She always assumed her actions were of pure rage and protest to her treatment, not that she actually wanted to die. 

A heavy sigh left her mouth, thinking of what to say as she got nothing in response. She wanted to leave on at least neutral terms, though, now there was no reason for her to do anything. There was no benefit in Amelie and yet..she felt the need to at least make her feel the slightest bit better. "Tell you what..give me a month. I'll get you out and I'll kill you someplace worthy of your lovely body."

Amelie lifted her head slightly to peer up at her, not trusting of what she said.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. You're the one that told me not to hurt you two days ago and are now requesting I kill you. That's rather contradicting, don't you think?" It made the other shift a bit. Soon she lifted her head fully. There was a sharp ache with her action, she whimpered. 

"A month." She said testingly, "just one. Fail and I'll kill you. Hurt me without killing me, I'll kill you." Her words were slow but clear. She had to be positive the other understood the fullness of her words.

"Okay, okay. I understand. If I take too long, I die. If I torture you, I die. All clear, Amiga." After Sombra confirmed her understanding, Amelie simply allowed herself to plop down against the floor to lay down. She whimpered from the aches, but didn't care enough to take the time it would have to shakily lay down. "Guess that means we're done for the night. See you in two days."

 

* * *

  
Amelie's cell was largly absent that morning, not that Sombra was aware. While the scientists were conducting their studies she had fallen asleep at her station. She was only meant to stay the nights that the mermaid got fed and leave upon her handlers exit since most of the other animals would be asleep by then. For her to stay a full night meant that one of the other creatures wasn't sleeping which was a huge bother to her sleeping schedule. She did not even bother going home for that she was required to be there the entire day. They were shifts that ranged from twelve to sixteen hours generally, only on few occassion would she have to deal with anything longer.

To the sickly woman it was a full time experience, even in her sleep there was the discomfort of illness. God forbid she fall asleep during the day, it made her easy prey. She much rather be aware of her abusers oncomings then be rudely awakened. As far as treatments go, the Doctor finally decided on a medication she believed would work the fastest. 

During the time of the illness they'd allow it to nearly consume Amelie before dragging her back. A game of tug-a-war. It wasn't nearly as fun as it sounded, she was out numbered and held no strength to fight back. Instead she was used and teased with ease. 

"Originally we were going to wait," Angela started a thought while scribbling brief notes, "for the end of the week to try this medicine on you. But because you've been slowly eating fruit, we thought it was only fair to bring an end to your sickness sooner. So if this medicine works as it should, then you'll be back to normal within two hours. Fast and efficient." She told her with a smile.

"I do appreciate you eating again. It makes it easier on us and our process. Now, what would be excellent is if you continued this and slowly move up to normal human portions. I know you don't like us having to drag you around all the time, holding you down, and all that other nonsense. I would love for that to stop. But you need to work with us. Not against us.

"I know it's hard, it hurts. Just..think of it this way. You are preventing hundreds to thousands of families from loosing their loved ones. Don't you think that's worth it? All the animals have basically accepted life here, they get moody, but overall they accept it. We don't have to keep them isolated all the time.

"If only you could hold back that anger." She finished with a disappointed dip in her voice. Her eyes finally leaving her paper to grab the needle containing the liquid dose of medicine. It was a few seconds, the tip pressing through the skin and injecting the strangely cold material. "You'll room will soon have water again for you to lavish in."

Her words were in and out for Amelie, hardly paying much attention. She didn't want to listen to her. She did not like her.  
The silence made Angela frown, "You're doing so well. Don't ignore me." She put anything she she holding off to the side. In the process of removing her plastic gloves she stared at Amelie's averted eyes. Sighing, she placed a bare hand onto the other's stomach. It stayed there for a moment before sliding to her hip. "I think we'll take a break from medicine for a bit."

 

* * *

  
Another night came around, Amelie had most of her body in the tank. Her arms resting on the top where it connected to the floor. She had her book on the floor, gently pressing it down to stop the pages from turning on her. She was reading the Swan Maiden, enjoying the old stories about shifters. It was something that she could relate to, knowing her body changed from human to fish without so much as a second thought. 

She heard the opening of the door, looking up to make eye contact with Sombra. "29 days." 

The hacker raised a brow before remember, "Yeah, I'm working on it. Relax." She sat at the edge of the pool. "Good to see you doing better. I brought you a smoothie today instead of straight up fruit. I think you'll like it." She placed a plastic cup with a straw on the floor within her grasp

With hesitation she brought the cup closer to her, taking a sip. The entire time her eyes stayed on Sombra. She slid the cup away and finally looked back at her book to finish the tale. "So. Tell me, Sombra. Why are you being nice to me? Surely you could take this place down without being nice."

"I can be nice. No one said I needed a reason though a favor in exchange is certainly welcome." She grinned at the end of her playful response.

"Magnifique." Amelie murmured sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She took another sip from the cup. "You are quite foolish."

"Oh, you are all better and suddenly you insult me? I'm offended." Sombra said with a laugh.

"You are working for..inhuman scientists and want to help one of their most precious subjects. I think foolish is the kindness insult I could give you." She started to look at the table of content to figure out what story she wanted to read next. 

"Well when you put it like that you make me sound down right insane. Y'know. You are more fun when you're feeling well."

"Mm, call it that if you will. I consider it playing with my prey." Amelie responded, turning to a folktale about a snake shifter.

"Aw, isn't that sweet? The pretty blue mermaid is trying to be scary." After her words that very woman pushed her book away.

"All those humans that I killed certainly found me terrifying. They struggled with every second I held them underwater until soon there was nothing. A few fell to having their skin ripped away as the red head has done to me." There was a rather deadly smirk on the mermaid's face.

"You are taking this very seriously." The hacker breathed out, the other getting very close to her.

Amelie grabbed her hands, "Then let me show you how serious I am." She said, slipping into the water where she dragged the other down with her. Her hand quickly moved from the hands she was holding to the throat as her yellow orbs stared at the human she held under the water.

Sombra's eyes were shut tightly for a few moments before they opened to stare at the her. She felt the hand at her throat but there was no pressure past that. Instead she kept their eyes locked until her lungs started to scream for air. She turned her gaze away as she opened her mouth. It was enough of a sign, Amelie

letting go of her and watched her return to the surface. 

With a loud gasp, Sombra pulled herself out of the water. Her breathing fast and heavy. She had no idea how long she was under water, but it was long enough to leave her desperate. "¡Qué mierda!" She exclaimed, turning to look at Amelie as her head popped out of the water.

"Aw, now you're all wet. A real pity." She said with her same smirk.

Sombra huffed, "Well aren't you having fun." She took off her coat, ringing it out. There was now a giant puddle of water on the floor.

"The most I've had in years." Amelie watched her, enjoying the water all over the floor. "If I knew any better, I'd say you liked me."

"Don't flatter yourself, you're not my type." 

"You were more distracted by my eyes then the hands at your throat. That must say something." She pulled herself out of the water, the wet floor allowing her tail to stay in form. "I looks like I can trust you."

"Excuse me. What? Holding me underwater with your hands at my throat was a test of trust?"

"Hm. If you can trust me not to kill you, then I can trust you to keep your word." She splashed the end of her tail in the puddles. 

It left Sombra speechless. That little dip was the stake of trust, it made her wonder if she reacted differently if that would've been the end of her. She could hardly believe she was helping this woman now. 

 

* * *

 

Around early afternoon was the first time Sombra had to set off an alarm. Whether or not she could hear her own mind telling her not to help them, she knew in her job description she was required to. She knew it was going to happen, the entire time the mermaid was in position for it.

It was almost as though the reaction was primitive. The moment an employee had set a hand on the door to her cell, her eyes were wild with rage. She had pressed herself up against the blind stop which happened to be the wall of the tank that met floor. It was only a matter of time before the stranger got close enough for her to lung up and steal them into her abyss. 

Poor man should have never entered her room alone.   

Most of what Sombra had witnessed prior was simply trapped anger mixed with suicidal desires. Granted, Amelie was also sick at that time and was denied access to her pool. Not only that, but she hardly knew how to use human legs other than kick in a struggle. Any moment she had seen her try to stand ended with her falling or using the wall as she shook worse than a chihuahua.

She watched the monitor as others rushed into the room in frantic attempt to fish out the currently drowning human. Which ended in dragging both people in the pool out. Their hands all over the blue body that slowly transitioned to a more natural color upon surfacing. She screamed curses in French which only became worse with ever slight tightening. They didn't allow her to let go until the employee was safely taken out of the room where they were hurry to follow.

Amelie had her eyes open the entire time, unblinking. She chest would rise sharply with every breath she took until she managed to come to a certain degree of calm. Instead of going back into her pool, she crawled over to where the robe laid off to the side and pulled it over herself like a blanket. She may have been tall, but she was unhealthily thin. Therefore it was not too much of a surprise that she could hide herself like that under the soft fabric. 

There was that itch of guilt again though. Sombra really didn't like that feeling. It was hard enough before when they were force feeding her, but after reading a few documents. It made everything ultimately worse. It made her wonder what it felt like to have hands constantly touching her, especially under the surface. Her face scrunched up in evident disgust.

When the day neared its end and the hacker was allowed to head home, she took a small detour into the other's room. She wasn't sure whether or not she was asleep, she hadn't moved out from under the robe for quite some time. But the sound of the door was enough to get her to jerk up and come out from underneath.   
A flash of distress was swallowed quickly when it was only the Spanish woman entering her room. She adjusted the robe so that she'd actually be wearing it now, staying seated on the floor and watched her.

Sombra knelt down, quietly observing her before speaking. "I can't stick around, have to go home. I just wanted to stop by to see if you were okay." She admitted, "well. As okay as you can be that is."

The gesture wasn't one that Amelie was to familiar with. She went without responding, not feeling very up to it.

It only took a minute of silence for her to get it. "I'll see you tomorrow night then." She started to reach out to give her back a gentle pat as some did to comfort others but stopped herself before she got close enough. 

The mermaid stared at her hand as it approached her then stopped. She didn't quite understand what it meant but she complied, much to Sombra's surprise, but not in the way she had intended. Instead Amelie moved the other's hand to her face, gently resting her cheek in the other's palm.

Sombra didn't move or speak. She felt the cold skin on the palm of her hand and only moved her hand away once she knew Amelie was done with the contact. In reality it was only a few seconds before she pulled away but it felt much longer. Almost like time slowed down enough for her to memorize the feeling of her skin.

 

* * *

  
Another day went by, and night came to surface. Sombra slipped into the cell of the fish-tailed woman, holding a different container with dragon fruit chuncks and star fruit slices. She set them down by the side of the pool as the other surfaced. 

Amelie's hair was sticking to her skin, the gills on her neck were relaxed and was staring directly at her acquaintance. "27 days." Her words were met with a huff. 

"I don't need a count down, I'm aware of what I'm doing. Have more faith in me." She knelt down, offering her hands to her. "Come on. You're getting out of the water today."

"Excusez moi?" She gave her a glare while sharply raising a brow at her. There was a lot of anger in her tone, the most she had spat at the other so far. Her gills slightly flared as her gaze shifted in disgust at the hands offered to her.

"Relajarse. I want to teach you how to walk." Each word was said slowly, watching some of the tension wash away but was still clearly weary. "If I am getting you out of here, the easiest way would be to teach you to walk.

"I know you don't enjoy contact, and I promise I'll be gentle, but you have to work with me here. I think I've been more than patient with you." It was true, she loved to mess with people. But felt that any incorrect string of words would damage whatever connection they had. 

Amelie groaned with annoyance, the last thing she wanted to do was feel herself tremble under legs that could not support her. But if that meant she'd get out of here and finally put to an end then it was worth it. Release was close yet far. She raised her hands out of the water, taking a hold of those still offered to her. 

It burned, it was uncomfortable. Sombra's hand tightened around her own and it took her quite a bit to refuse the instinct to pull her under the water again. She was pulled out of the water and quickly the warm hands let go of her hands to wrap around her as her tail changed to legs. Even if she didn't like it, she gripped to the other woman for support. She was already shaking and very tense. 

Sombra aided in keeping her up, watching the blue skin slowly gradient into soft pink flesh. She could feel the other's shaking naked body against her. It did not help how tense the mermaid was as she was rather unwillingly to move. She stood there for awhile, allowing for Amelie to slowly ease some of her tightened form. There was still a slight trembling that remained, but it wasn't one that could be helped.

"Your legs are not strong enough to support you.." The hacker muttered, mostly to herself as she testingly let go of Amelie and took a step back. There was a hiss in response to the test as she quickly dragged Sombra back. They weren't close enough to a wall for her to lean up against otherwise she would have tossed her to the side.

"Try that again and I'll make your legs tremble." She snapped at her, and all Sombra could manage was a laugh.

"Mm, phrasing. I can take that a few different ways." A joke was far from appropriate. Though, it did allow a thin escape from the other's anger. She received a tilted head in question. "Ah, don't worry about it. I knew what you meant. I would rather you not break my legs.

"Now, this is how we're going to do this. You can keep your hold on me for now but you need you to stand up straight." The directions were unpleasant to Amelie. She did her best to stand up straight while keeping her hands on Sombra's shoulders to prevent herself from falling. "Don't lock your knees." Another instruction caused a groan, doing her best to follow them.

For awhile they were like this, they weren't going to get very far if Amelie's legs couldn't hold her up right. It was physically painful for her to stand, even with some of her weight on the other. She hated it. She felt helpless and restrained. Her gaze wasn't even focused on Sombra; she was staring down at the floor where her feet were planted. 

There were humans constantly around her from day-to-day. One would have assumed she'd be accustomed to them but here she was practically unable to wrap her head around having them under her. She knew that it was only natural for them to be able to walk using legs. It was humans only means of transporting themselves. It didn't make her view on using them any less annoying though.

"Okay," Sombra's voice started suddenly, "I'm going to take a step back. I want you to let go and try standing on your own. If you feel like you're going to fall, fall at me. I promise I'll catch you." 

Amelie made a growl in protest but the other was already removing her hands from her shoulder and taking a step back. Her stance from then didn't last anymore than three seconds before falling back into the other. The hacker catching her and helping her adjust back into a standing position, allowing her shaking to settle a bit. "See? You can trust me." A small aggravated huff followed her words.

This process repeated. With each attempt Sombra would count the seconds or minutes Amelie was able to hold her own. It was like teaching a child to ride a bike. Not something she thought she'd ever have to teach someone, especially since this isn't riding a bike. It's standing and walking. A function most people were able to do assuming there were no issues or accidents.

After she thought they'd made decent progress she helped the mermaid to the pool where the other was reduced to her most natural form of being. Amelie was not pleased with the process and gifted Sombra with a splash of water. "Give me a better warning next time." 

This was to be expected, Sombra thought. She rubbed some of the water off her face. "Yeah, yeah. We'll be practicing with each upcoming visit. So prepare yourself for it."

"What is even the point? How is this easier?" It was a demand rather than a question.

"I'll explain as everything becomes finalized," she sat on the edge. "I think we made great progress though." 

That answer was far from satisfying. With the way it was worded, she doubted she was going to get much more an answer. That left her to mentally sigh as she made her way closer to her, resting her elbows on the cold floor while leaving the bottom half of her body submerged in water. "I can't tell if I should hate you or not right now."

Sombra snorted, "Is standing really that bad?"

"It's not just that. You show up out of nowhere while I'm sick, and made me an offer that I was too eager to refuse." She responded plainly. "Now you come to my room, bringing fruits and, like yesterday, trying to give me the vaguest form of comfort."

"I don't see why you'd hate me for that."

"You are a human. You choice to work here, I don't care if it was because of rumors, you still choice to. You can't be that different from them. I should hate you."

"But..?" Sombra encouraged, she enjoyed this information. 

"You are my only possible chance at getting what I want." 

"And death is all you want?"

"If it'll end all of this, then yes." Amelie said, adjusting herself as she looked at the damages on her arm. 

Sombra took a long breath before laying down and meeting the mermaid's eyes. "How'd did this all happen?" There was no answer. She didn't push for it. She put her hands under her head and looked up at the ceiling. "You know. There was a period of time when I wanted to die. Most of my family was dead, and those that remained abandoned me. There was no place for me to go.

"Obviously I'm still here, but the process wasn't fun. I had to use whatever skills I had to climb the ladder. I will admit, I am a terrible person. I have used and manipulated people, I have stolen and killed before. But what kept me from killing myself was that fear of leaving nothing behind."   
There was a long moment for silence, Amelie trying to process. "And what exactly are you leaving behind now?"

"Where I grew up, it was devastated due to a number of circumstances so.." she turned to face her again, "I decided that I will fix it. A lot of the money that I scramble to collect is to benefit places that need it. And although I will never take credit for it, I am pleased to know I left a positive impact despite all the wrongs I've done." 

"Why are you telling me this?"

There was a small shrug as she sat up, "No real reason. If I'm going to be killing you anyway, it doesn't really matter what I tell you. And you know what they say; two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."

 

* * *

  
"Aw, no need to be pouty." She brought a finger to her face, giving her nose a slight boop.

Ever since Sombra had started teaching the other to walk, they have been making a lot of physical contact and a lot of conversation. This was the sixth visit in a row that they spent most of the time walking and there was tons of improvement. The other was finally able to stand her own weight, of course, her walking wasn't completely smooth yet. There was still occasional trembles when she stepped and sometimes her legs would give out beneath her entirely. Clearly not used to the stress of her walking on them. But each time something like that happened, Sombra wasn't far from her and was always ready to catch her.

"Easy for you to say, you aren't the one stressing a part of your body."

There was only 17 days left now. She had made progress with her plan, bringing the smallest amounts of truth to light that were hidden within the rumors. When people had confirmation about even the tiniest bit of truth it spread like rapid fire. There was enough attention to the company that it distracted Moira entirely, saving Amelie some of the troubles they had.

"Hey, I'm doing this for your benefit. I could very well let you collapse onto the floor but I'm nice enough to catch you."

Sometimes Sombra could not help but wonder. There was still the smallest spark of life the mermaid and she was rather determined to light it. This wasn't for personal gain, she had no intention of using her for anything. All she wanted to do was help her realize there was more to life. At first she was poking at it without much thought, but now it was a focus. 

"Félicitations, you aren't a completely terrible person."

It was hard to pull off why Amelie's handlers were no longer around to feed her. The fact that they couldn't answer who was getting her to eat displayed that enough. So Sombra did come forward about it. She made sure to word it in such a way that her intentions wouldn't come to light and made sure it was Angela who heard her words instead of her counterpart. 

"I try very hard to be not so terrible. Is there no reward for that? I'd say it's a great achievement."

She would be lying if she said she didn't like being around Amelie. Despite her being underweight and covered in scars, her skin still managed to be smooth to the touch. Her hair was extremely fun to twirl around her fingers whenever she got a few second chance to do so. Generally it was wet, but when dry it rather unrealistically soft. With being so close to her, there was the access to her smell. It wasn't one she had expected, mostly Amelie smelt like a fresh water lake instead of a fishy smell. Her breath would always smell like the last thing she ate, even if she brushed her teeth earlier that day.

"Pity. I have nothing to offer you."

Her favorite moments were when Amelie revealed some information about herself. For instance, she loved hues of purples that mixed with pinkish colors, her favorite things to snack on were (strangely enough) flowers, and enjoyed having her hair done. She wasn't too skilled with dealing with it herself, but was willing to allow Sombra to tie it back into a ponytail or bun. Though, there wasn't too much information shared about her life outside of the building. It made her wonder if Amelie remember who she was outside of here.

"Come on, I bet you can think of something! It does not have to be anything major."

Currently Sombra was looking up at the other, a grin on her face as she playfully created banter. It was fun, and she did not expect much in these situations. Though, if things were to trail in any direction, she was more than willingly to entertain the topic. Amelie was debating on how to react, noticing the purple eyes that belonged to the Hacker watching her intensively. There was a rather sudden idea that came to her mind and decided to act on it before it diminished. 

"Fine." Amelie rested a hand on the other's shoulder as she leaned down, pressing the softest kiss on the tip of Sombra's nose. It was both a reward and her mimicking those brief moments that the Hacker would boop her. Now, the reaction she got was her own personal treat. 

A heat visually rose to Sombra's face with a small ounce of shock hanging on the side. "Órale. If I knew requesting a reward meant I'd get a kiss I would've asked much sooner." 

"It was on the spot. Don't go about coming here thinking I'm going to give you free kisses."

Free? It practically made Sombra giggle.

"So no free kisses, is that what I'm hearing? What is payment for a kiss?" She started to flirt a little, causing the other to roll her eyes.

"An arm will get you three kisses, a leg will get you five. Give me someone's head and I'll generously give you ten." The humor was dark, Sombra digged that as she laughed in response.

"I'll give you my heart now if that means I can get a kiss on the lips~" There was no shame in flirting, it had been something they've both gotten caught up in. 

"Tsk, tsk. How cheesy can you be," Amelie replied dully, "but I guess an organ as vital as the heart deserves something more than a mere kiss on the forehead. Let me think on it."

 

* * *

  
There was only a week left, that left her with today and two other visits. That last day was there escape. A day Sombra had to say good bye. It was painful to think about. She knew she could kill, and it was something she said she'd do. It was rather late to back out on it. Plus sparking life in Amelie did not seem to progress far for that whenever they drifted to talking about their plan, there was always an eagerness shown toward the idea of death and disappearing. 

On a lighter note, there was a strong comfortability between the two of them. It was nice that the other could be so relaxed in her presence and touch. She had brought a holographic projector so that they could watch a movie together. There wasn't much for them to do at this point. Sombra had set the sails for her plans, and everything was naturally falling into place.

People were questioning the company, begging to get inside and have a look of their own. Legal permits were being made to allow officials to explore the facility which they desperately tried to schedule for specific dates in order to have time to cover up all of their legal activity. Not to mention that there profits were suffering due to people refusing to buy from them unless they were truly that desperate. With all the commotion, it gave the two scientist that ran the building no time to figure out how everything was so suddenly crashing around them.

Her hands gently ran through the midnight blue locks of hair. Amelie was using her legs as a pillow and the robe as her blanket. She had fallen asleep before they even got halfway through the movie. This was the biggest display of trust she felt she was ever going to achieve. She was relaxed. Her muscles weren't tense, she didn't even some on edge. This was a deep sleep. That meant she had no worries about getting hurt while in Sombra's presence. 

It really made her heart sting.

Recently, all she could really think about was her. There were so many things she had learned about her. Amelie told her about how she was brought here.  
It was like a dolphin, trapped in a wire netting that washed ashore. She was found during low tides where her body gave way to a fully nude human form. Her arm had one of the hooks embedded in her skin while her legs were practically unusable. There was hours of struggling which resulted in the wire slicing into her flesh like long paper-cuts. 

The one that'd found her was Moira, who at the time seemed pleasant. She aided in Amelie's freedom and brought her to this facility to tend to her wounds and help her recover. There was a bit of surprise on the Doctor's part when they first found out she could not walk. According to Amelie, they thought the wire fishing net might've left her immobilized. She confessed to have never been able to walk very well, that she was much more of a swimmer. It was a confession she soon regretted. The moment they saw her body change at the contact of water marked the period she was no longer able to leave. 

All the permanent damage to her flesh, her arm and back, were all studies that never healed. Difference chemicals were dragged against her flesh in more than on instance. Things Amelie had never seen, never known. Apparently what had urked her the most was that they treated her with such kindness and care up until the point they found out she was a mermaid because at that moment. She was no longer human. She was deemed an animal.

That was not the only information. Amelie had confessed to her that her involvements with Angela were equally as unpleasant. Although she was nicer on her with experiments in comparison, there was a lot of inappropriate contact in other ways.

It was all out of Sombra's control but it made her wish she'd arrive sooner. For this woman to endure this place since she was 27 must've been completely dreadful. That was six years. How she survived even with the help of scientist was rather astounding. 

Her fingers continued to weave through her hair, the movie ended awhile ago. She gaze stayed on Amelie for a long time. The resting and falling of her chest was still notable with the robe on. If she was able to, she would stay like this all night. A pretty face like that on her lap was all she could ever really ask for. She will always remember that first test of trust. Hands at her throat as they were both submerged in water. 

And now, look at the progress. Their relationship shifted from dancing on the thin webbing of death to craving a gentle touch that no one had provided to either of them for years. 

 

* * *

  
Three days. This was the last moment they'd be spending together happily. Next time they were leaving, and there would be a harsh fairwell. 

In the camera the day before the paperback book was tossed at the camera. Not to damage, but to gather Sombra's attention. With her purple eyes drifting to the screen Amelie was staring directly at the camera was two fingers held up. At that moment she assumed there was two days left. That was wrong. There was four, and today made the third.

"Sombra," the mermaid practically purred her name. The softest she'd ever heard it. "I have a question for you." 

Confusion was evident, Sombra made her way over to the edge as she took her coat off to tossed it aside before sitting down. Amelie wasn't one to start their conversations, and most of her serious sounding questions were related to death and escape. "And what could that possibly be?"

There was a smirk that slide upon the aquatic woman's face, one she hadn't seen since around the beginning. "Do you like the taste of fish?" The tone in her voice was something else entirely, her tail gently thumping against the sponge walls of her tank.

At first Sombra did not think much of it, "Yeah, I like fish. Sushi is-" She brought herself to a halt, staring at the heated look in the other's golden eyes. Then it hit her. Generally she was good at picking up little things like this, flirting, teasing, it was part of what they did. It was something fun and she loved the dark humor that followed her responses. But this. It had her feeling overwhelmed. "Oh, you have the hots for me now?"

"Mm," she averted her eyes for a moment and looked at the fly on the wall. "I thought my hint through the camera was evidence enough." Her tail continued to gently hit the side of the pool. "Would you like to?"

This was a serious offer that Sombra wasn't too sure to comply to. "Didn't see this coming.." She murmured to herself, but the other still heard her.

Amelie had picked up a few words from past conversations with the other. The surprise was nice, but she wanted an answer. "Then reboot. I want an answer, cherie." She wouldn't be upset if Sombra said no. At least no was some sort of answer and not free wires unable to connect to anything.

"Someone's eager." She breathed out, getting an idea. "Did you miss me?"

There were a few blinks before mermaid gave her a questioning look, "What? I asked a question first."

"So? There is no fair in playing, Querido. Answer my question, and I'll answer yours. Deal?"

Amelie huffed, her tail more eagerly thumping against the wall under the water. "Un petit peu.."

"Say that again so I can understand you." There was a playful smirk on Sombra's face.

An impatient groan left the mermaid's mouth. "A little bit."

All she could do was chuckle as she started to strip herself of her clothing, tossing it aside to where her coat sat. That was all the answer Amelie seemed to need. "I take it you want me in the water, huh?" Just how she answered with an action, Ame did too. She grabbed her hands and excitingly pulled her into the tank. 

There must've been some planning that went into this, Amelie position Sombra's front against the wall, allowing her to enough room to grip the edge. She was pressed up against the Hacker's back as her hand rested on the wall. For her, being underwater was easy, but knew for a human to keep themselves in one spot it wasn't. 

Sombra allowed her the control, feeling the other's breasts against her back. It certainly wasn't an activity she'd planned for the day. A small noise left her as she felt the gentle presses of lips pick at her skin. It started at the ear with feather-like touches before the lips parted to take gentle nibbles.

The blue hand that wasn't occupied rather desperately cupped at one of Sombra's breasts, massaging gently while the kisses traveled from ear to neck. Amelie was practically purring as she toyed with the human body, a faint vibrating at the back of her throat. It did not take long for nibbles to turn into biting, taking the flesh between in teeth. There was no way for her to resist sinking her teeth beneath the skin even if that meant there would be a little bit of red brought to surface.

Her treatment was encouraged with a moan mixed with a whine. Sombra could already feel her mind going fuzzy. If she weren't already in water, she was sure she would have felt the thick fluid between her legs as the heat of the moment was spreading. There was a hitch in her breath when the handling of her breast got more aggressive, more eager.

Rough pinching with nails practically glazing the surface repetitively. Testingly, Amelie's hand moved from the wall, hoping for no sudden change in position. When she felt sure there would be no drastic changes, she let her hand dip between Sombra's legs, her fingers dancing in little circles at the inside of her thigh.

Another moan, hotter, more needy than ones prior. It was taking the Hacker quite a bit of self-control to not arch her back at the contact, fearing that her slight adjustment in position would ruin it. How Amelie could make no other noises than her low purring (or maybe it was needy growling), was beyond Sombra's comprehension. As for herself, there was a mix of moans and groans with the overall panting that'd sometimes pause at different treatment. 

It was practically no time at all before the hand at her thigh spread her legs apart. Amelie's nails digging into the skin harshly. There was without a doubt going to be bloody scratches at the end. There was already a few loving marks at her neck and shoulder that dripped small amounts of blood. Even the breast that was entertained between fingers for so long was going to have its evident trace of her touch. But Sombra wasn't complaining.

Down the hand slide, releasing the well toyed with flesh to slowly feel the curve of Sombra's body. This touch was gentle, following her form up and down for a little bit as though memorizing her form. Once she felt satisfied with feeling, her hand followed the curve of her side and over the hip until her fingers were able to met with rough curling hair between the Hacker's legs.

"Belle femme," Amelie hummed, two fingers rubbing Sombra's clit in tight circles. "Des hurlements de plaisir?" Her mouth was at Sombra's ear again, a small lick following her words as the rubbing continued.

By this point Sombra was eager, the rubbing was enough to get her to arch her back. It shifted the area of weight that Amelie had to adjust to in order to keep their bodies like this. She didn't know French, so any hot words that melted into her ear meant nothing to her. That did not make the situation any less hot though.   
She noticied the stop in progression, her one leg left being held with the nails embedded in them while the other blue hand continued its teasing. The breasts press against her back were a wonderful feeling addition that was constant. But she was eager too now. "¡Darse prisa! You are going to drive me crazy!"

It made Amelie laugh, her fingers now spreading the lower lips. "Foolish and crazy..?" She sounded rather delighted. "Going to scream at all?" That same hand slide a finger in, rubbing against the inner walls teasingly. 

"Dammit, just fuck me!" Sombra exclaimed and was met with her request. The solo finger exploring inside as it was thrusted in and out. Amelie watched in amusement as the humans hungry hips tried to get more of her finger. Soon enough she added a second, her fingers performing a dance inside the lips that were so pleased with each passing moment her show persisted.

Warm and sticky, all the liquid was wrapping around her fingers in excitement and it ended with a cheerful flood that left Sombra's body erupt with a tremble and nearly screamed moan. To have her so wrapped up in it all was very pleasing to Amelie. The fingers stayed in for a bit longer, easing their way out before rubbing away most of the mess into the water of the tank. 

Sombra's body language display a lack of energy now and it made her laugh ever so faintly. "Need help getting out of the pool?" She asked, receiving a nod and there they went. Onto the search of a cold floor that was a startling contrast to the heat they'd just endured. 

It took her a few minutes to come to realization. The Hacker looking over at her friend in the water. She was still catching her breath when she asked, "What about you?" She had little to no known knowledge on how Amelie's body reacted to it all. There was practically no indications of what was going though her body, not that Sombra had much of a chance to touch it.

That same pleasant hum left the mermaid's throat, "I'm satisfied when you are." Her response was met with a questioning look but it wasn't explained further. "You should get dressed and going when you're all dry. Oh. And sorry for the harsh handling," she eyes the bruises and cuts she left, "couldn't help myself."  
Sombra weakly snorted, "Uh-huh. It was great and I'm not complaining or anything..but a warning would have been nice."

Amelie rolled her eyes playfully, "Perhaps I should have been rougher."

 

* * *

  
Their last night arrived, all the information on the systems were spilled to the public. Everything except the documents regarding Amelie, those were going to be brought to the grave. There was money she managed to gather out of this, but the down fall of the company became more of a personal one for Sombra. Most of whatever she earned was the information regarding all the medicine that she sold to other companies so that the public still had affording medicine at their fingertips. 

There was so much more she could have dug up, so many opportunities she had and yet she let all that fall apart because her heart yearned for a woman that had been trapped there so long. It turned into spite and revenge rather than a money making operation. And she was more than okay with that.   
The news about the facility spread even faster than its rumors. Death threats were tossed at the scientists and a lot of the employees were publicly hated for even taking a job there. Words were shot at them, cruel, inhumane, terrible, murderers, etc. As for the animals that had been stuck there, it would have been nearly impossible to introduce them to the wild again so they were forcibly relocated to more Zoo like environments. It did not seem like much to some people, but those creatures being able to see the light of day was a thrill they thought was long gone from them. 

It fell into place so neatly, it did not matter that Moira and Angela figured it was of her doing, they were going to be sealed away.   
As for Amelie, the night before dawn awoke to this crash of a building, was snuck out to a small temporary home that Sombra inhabited. She was wearing a loose summer dress since the Hacker did not want to make her travel in the cold and was sitting with her knees to her chest on the tiny sofa. The screen on the wall was relaying the incident, listening as it explained how it all came to its conclusion. 

There was enjoyment watching it. Even if it weren't her own doing, she still felt like she won. She wasn't their puppet anymore, nor was she a play toy. She no longer had to feel anxious of someone dragging her away, or suddenly inflicted pain. It was all brought to an end, the threads finally cut off.   
And now, here she was. The worries she felt everyday were gone, and nothing would be the same anymore. She wouldn't be able to hold her own alone. Her body was far to thin for that even if she did have the strength. Therefore, she had nothing to look foward too. Unless..she shook her head. The thought stopping before she had a chance to entertain the 'ifs' of Sombra's love.

There was no way that Sombra loved her, she already knew that the Hacker's original intentions weren't for her. She simply figured there was enough pity put upon her to bring her to her end. 

After the news ended of what seemed like hours of information, she sighed and rose to her feet. It must've been mutual acknowledgement because Sombra stood up as well. She had the same clothes on from last night. She had not bothered to change. And soon, her hand was offered to Amelie. She hesitated. Not enough for Sombra to notice as she took hold of her hand and they left the small building. 

Outside was illuminated with sunlight, grass glittering with each droplet of light that washed over them and the air was sweet and filled with moisture. It had been so long since she'd been able to take in the smells of nature. Strangely it was comforting to at least know she could die in its embrace rather than in against shivering metal in a boxed room.

Their entire walk was silent. It was pointless to talk about anything due to the cut-off. And they both were left to ponder what was going on in the other's head. If there was any regrets, any feelings, anything other than what was about to happen.

Desperately, very desperately did Sombra try to create a flame for Amelie to live off of. It was true, there last get together before all this was a treatment of desire. But she couldn't help but think of it as something Amelie wanted before she died. One last violent emotion, one last thrill, and then bang. 

She knew that is was her choice, that she did not have to cave into the other's request but she wanted it. It felt more than just lust, and that was what drove her to wanting it. It didn't help that the mermaid had gotten so comfortable with her. Opening up little doors while gracing Sombra with gentle kisses on her nose and cheeks, it drove her insane.

Eventually they arrived at a rocky shore line, the salt water was overwhelming every partial in the air and Amelie couldn't help but to take a few deep savoring breaths of it. Her grip of the other's hand release, slowly slipping them away as her yellow eyes peered into purple ones. 

Waiting.

It felt was though Sombra herself was getting stabbed. Why did it look so easy for Amelie to drop her? No, that's selfish, she thought. She knew keeping the other alive wasn't their plan, and it was probably selfish to want her to love just because she loved her. Right? 

"Alright," she said, reaching her hand into her coat to pull out a gun, "back to me." 

Amelie refused to eye the gun, following the directions relayed to her. The tip of the handhold death device pressed against the back of her head, causing her to flinch and shut her eyes tightly in preparation of being killed.

Instead, it was drawn back. "You don't want to die." Sombra stated, that back stayed facing her. "Amelie, do you still want me to kill you?" Her words were slow.

Silence.

It made a heavy sigh leave the hacker, "Listen. I know the agreement was that I kill you or you're going to kill me but... I need a clear confident answer if you truly still want to die." She wasn't receiving any answer, so she continued to speak. "This may be hard for you to believe, but this isn't easy for me. I know I told you I've killed people in the past but those people were mad people. And you aren't a bad person."

Her words were drawing some discomfort causing Amelie to start shifting her weight between her legs. 

"I know what you're thinking. You are thinking of those people you drowned, aren't you?" It finally made those gold eyes toss her a look over her shoulder.

_Gotcha._

"I don't care that you killed them. They were causing you harm," the gun was tossed to the ground and she stepped close to wrap her arms around Amelie's waist. "And honestly, I don't want to see you hurt anymore."

"Sombra."

"Hm?"

"You are incredibly foolish. But it would also be a shame if anything ever happened to you," she paused before speaking again. "Remember when you said you'd give me your heart in exchange for a kiss on the lips?"

"Uh-huh?" She was rather unsure of where this was going.

"Would there be a chance I could have your heart in exchange for mine?" 

Sombra was so sure Amelie could hear her heart now. She swallowed hard before letting go of Amelie and moving to her front to face her. "Depends. Does that mean I get to keep you around longer?" It was stupid probably to slowly convert to the way they usually spoke to each other.

"Only if that heart of yours is served to me on a silver platter," Amelie responded with dark humor. As strange as it was, there was so much enjoyment in hearing that Sombra let a bright smile take over her face.

"You can have any organ you want served however you want." Her arms wrapping loosely around her neck, "so when did that angry heart of yours start leaping for mine?"

Amelie huffed at the question, she couldn't believe the game Sombra was playing with her. "Who knows, maybe it just enjoyed your terrible personality."

"It's not that terrible, come on." She leaned in to press a kiss on her cheek. "At least tell me what you like about me."

"I like that you aren't completely a jerk." The small frown on Sombra's face made her answer more seriously, "You care about me. You were gentle and were patient with me. Also I enjoy your flirting."

That frown was replaced with a loving smile, "Aw, I'm never going to get another soft confession like that again now am I? That's okay," she gave another kiss but on her neck, "you're my favorite, and I'll be here for you."

"Mm, that's sappy." Amelie mumbled, "but I appreciate it." Her arms finally moved from her sides, cupping Sombra's face gently. She locked their lips together, a long passionate meeting that was brought to end with, "I guess I am your type after all."

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this one-shot on a whim. It grew longer than I expected, but I hope you will can still enjoy it!


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